Season Is a Keeper for These Players
Two former Orange County goalkeepers had standout seasons for nationally prominent Atlantic Coast Conference women’s soccer teams.
Jenni Branam was a freshman starter on North Carolina’s national championship team that finished with a 24-2 record.
Branam, who played at El Dorado High, ranked second in the nation with a 0.30 goals-against average, giving up only six goals in 22 games. Crystal Gordon of Santa Clara led the nation with a 0.21 average.
Erin Regan of Wake Forest ranked 13th nationally with a 0.71 average, giving up 14 goals in 21 games. Regan, who played at Santa Margarita High, is a sophomore who completed her second season as Wake Forest’s starting goalkeeper. Wake Forest finished 16-6-1 and ranked 12th.
Regan was selected to the All-ACC first team and Branam was on the second team. Regan led the ACC in save percentage, and Branam ranked third.
NOTEWORTHY
Freshman Allison Fennell of USC, who played at Mater Dei, was chosen to the All-Pac 10 second team in women’s soccer. She had six goals and four assists as a starting midfielder.
Terry Tuzzolino, who wrestled for Capistrano Valley High and Santa Ana College, has a 19-6 record this season for San Francisco State. Tuzzolino is ranked eighth in the nation in NCAA Division II at 197 pounds. Two other former Orange County wrestlers also are on the squad. Brian Ysias (Mission Viejo) has a 5-2 record at 170 pounds. Steve Cooper (Marina High) moved up from 184 pounds to heavyweight this season and is 2-8.
Jill Meyers, a senior middle blocker on the Massachusetts women’s volleyball team, was selected as the female winner of the Woody Hayes National Scholar Athlete Award in NCAA Division I. She has a 3.84 grade-point average, majoring in political science and English. Meyers, who played for Huntington Beach High, has been co-captain of her team the past three years.
Azusa Pacific offensive lineman Brad Baker (San Clemente High, Saddleback College) was selected as a second-team NAIA All-American.
Josh Greer (Esperanza High) is averaging 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds this season for St. Mary’s.
Stanford’s Geoff Abrams (Newport Harbor High) teamed with Alex Kim to win the men’s doubles title at the recent National Collegiate Tennis Classic at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. Abrams lost to Kim in the men’s singles final, 6-3, 6-2.
